90 The Ottawa Naturalist. July 



The first boring undertaken in hard crystalline rocks was on 

 the little island of Svangen, in 1891, south of Kosterfjorden. This 

 was abandoned " because a long crack was arrived at extending 

 from the sea to the boring-hole." 



Baron Ruuth, General Director for Pilots, caused a second 

 boring to be tried. It was at Arko, beyond Braviken in May, 

 1894, under the direction and supervision of Gustav Norden- 

 skjold, the geologist Svenonius, and Director Casselli. " The 

 rock consisted of hornblende, gneiss and diorite. As soon as a 

 depth ol 35 metres was reached they came to excellent water, 

 yielding 450 litres an hour. The boring had a diameter of 64 

 millimetres." The water obtained was "perfectly clear." 



At forty-four different stations water was thus obtained 

 since the successful trial at Arko, and at Stockholm the tempera- 

 ture of the water reached in the bore-hole varies from 6" to 7° 

 C. (about 43° to 75° Fahrenheit); Gelliavaara water, 13° C, or 

 55° Fahr. 



" Baron Nordenskjold is convinced," says Sir Clements 

 Markham, " that water will be found in the same way as in 

 Sweden wherever hard close rock exists, with variations in 

 temperature and not permeable." 



In Canada where the Archaean gneisses, granites and 

 diorites are so abundant, we find that the whole Archaean area 

 is fairly teeming with flowing springs, even on the crests and 

 brows of our Laurentide Hills. These springs or streams 

 supply an innumerable quantity of fresh water for the numer- 

 ous lakes which abound everywhere throughout our Archaean 

 country as may be readily seen on examining the geological 

 maps of Canada which include part of the Archaean complex. 



I venture to throw out the suggestion, that, the presence of 

 these cracks or fissures in the hard crystalline rocks of Canada is 

 probably due to the variations in temperature to which the 

 Archiean areas are subjected in coldest winter and warmest 

 summer, or in the rapid and pronounced variations in tempera- 

 ture of alternating day and night. 



Such an hypothesis appears to be in keeping with the 

 views and facts advanced Baron Nordenskjold in Scandinavia, 

 and the presence of such streams (many of them intensely cold 

 in summer, indicating that they come from considerable depths) 

 as issue from the cracks and crevices everywhere present, would 

 account for the supply of a great deal of the fresh water in our 

 great and small lakes. H.M.A. 



